The Fox of the Leaf
by snakeboy33
Summary: In a twist of fate, Kushina manages to form a friendship with Kurama during her time as a Jinchuriki. And something that might seem small in the present, can have a truly titanic effect on the future.
1. Prologue Part 1

_**Prologue Part 1**_

Kurama was pissed off. No other way to say it, he was pissed off.

While he was a pessimist in general (it was hard to be anything else considering the way his existence went), something in him had hopes of things getting better when Mito Uzumaki died. He had naively hoped he could perhaps use that as an opportunity to slip away; revenge wasn't important at this point, only escaping. But that accursed sealing technique…. The Sage had told him to wait for the chosen one who would guide him to the correct path; while Kurama didn't doubt the Sage, that didn't make him not wish that said one would hurry the fuck up!

Sadly, despite all his rage, Kurama knew there was nothing that he could do at this point but stare at the ethereal sky of the new Jinchuriki's mind-scape, and be angry at it. At least the last seal wasn't so uncomfortable. But as he stared at the sky, he sensed a presence, and he looked down the best he could. Standing before him, was a young girl with long red hair, which signified her as an Uzumaki. Kurama recognized the girl as his Jinchuriki.

" **The fuck you here for?"** he growled. The girl didn't answer at first, as she cocked her head at him in curiosity.

" **Did I stutter or something?"** __Still, he didn't get answer. Letting out an exasperated growl, Kurama rolled his eyes.

" **Look, I'm stuck here until you die, which will hopefully be pretty soon,"** he said **, "And I'd much rather spend as little time as necessary with you directly."** Again, the girl just looked at him.

" **How many times will…."**

"What's your name?" the girl interrupted. Alright, _that_ caught the fox off guard. In the list of people who tried to control him (which wasn't a long list), and the list of people who succeeded (which was an even shorter list), literally no one had asked him his name. That surprised Kurama so much he didn't know what to say at first.

" **What kind of question is that?"**

"I want to know your name," the girl said, "I mean, if you're going to be inside me, shouldn't we know each other?"

" **Not if I have a say in it,"** Kurama said with a snort.

"Well, my name's Kushina Uzumaki," the girl said with a smile, "So what's your's?" Kurama glared at the girl who had just identified herself.

" **Why don't you just keep calling me what every human calls me?"** he said **, "Nine-Tails."**

"'Nine-Tails'?" Kushina asked, with a frown, "That's a dumb name, ya'know."

" **Deal with it."** Kushina wrinkled her nose in thought.

"Nah," she said, "I'm not going to call you that. I'm gonna call you 'Kistu', ya' know!" Once again, Kurama was caught off guard.

" **Are you actively trying to make me mad!"** he snapped.

"But that's better than not having a name at all," Kushina said, with a grin, "Now we're going to be together for a long time, so we should be friends." Kurama would've laughed at the ridiculousness of that if he wasn't so angry.

"Well, I've got to go now!" Kushina said, waving, "Bye Kistu!"

" **That's not my name!"** Kurama shouted, but Kushina had already faded away, once again leaving Kurama alone in the mind-scape.

 **(a few years later)**

At the very least, Kurama's time in Kushina wasn't any more unpleasant than his time in Mito. There were times, though, that the child impressed Kurama in the way she handled the other kids who picked on her. At the very least she didn't let other people fight her battles; if someone went after her, she beat them up herself.

In the years since Kurama was sealed within the girl, the girl had become a kunoichi, and decently skilled on at that. While Mito hadn't ever used it herself, Kurama had no reason to believe that Kushina wouldn't some day want to take his power for herself. And when that inevitably happened, Kurama would be ready.

That said, every so often, Kushina would drop in, and talk with him, still using that infuriating name she devised for him. There were times Kurama had been tempted to just tell her his real name if only to get her to stop. But no one but the Sage could call him by that name if he had anything say about it. Generally Kushina would talk about things that Kurama really didn't give a shit about, like foods he liked. But for some mystery reason, the girl didn't give up, and kept insisting on being friendly with him. Kurama seriously could not imagine why.

As if the fates wanted to torture him even further, right then Kushina appeared right before him. She had altered her wardrobe appropriately as she aged, and she was aging fairly well. She was also now wearing the Konoha forehead protector. Kurama hated that symbol with a passion that defied words. It symbolized Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Konoha, everything that kept him bound.

"Hey Kistu!" Kushina said with a salute, "How's it going?"

" **Look at me and guess,"** Kurama sneered. The sneer bounced right off the red head, who kept smiling at him.

"You really love that evil glare, you know!" she said.

" **Ever wonder why?"** Kurama said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, why don't you tell me?" Kurama immediately looked down at Kushina in surprise. The girl was looking up at him, with legitimate curiosity.

"Why are you always so angry?" she asked. There was a period of silence between Tailed Beast and Jinchuriki, as the two just stared at each other. It was difficult to assess time in a mental world, but it felt like hours, until Kurama finally spoke.

" **You're why."**

"Me?" Kushina asked, pointing at herself.

" **Its natural that a prisoner would hate its warden,"** Kurama explained **, "You who keep me trapped in oblivion, while I have to watch the world move by, relegated to be just a weapon, like a dagger or sword. And you would question my hatred?"** Kushina just listened in silence, as Kurama's glare hardened.

" **Don't think I don't see it,"** the fox growled.

"See what?" Kushina asked. Her feigned ignorance made Kurama's blood boil.

" **The looks."** Kushina's eyes narrowed slightly, as she listened.

 _(Flashback)_

 _Kushina strolled down the streets of Konoha, her hands behind her head. As she passed by, she couldn't help but notice something: whispers._

" _Isn't that the Nine-Tails?"_

" _I hear she beat up several kids this week alone."_

" _Tch, the little demon girl."_

" **The way they look at you the way they would look at a stain in a rug, or a cockroach in their house. You can feel it can't you?"**

" _Hey, I heard that!" Kushina snapped, getting the gossipers attention, "You want me to kick your ass!" The gossipers didn't pursue it anymore, but still glared at her, as Kushina huffed, and marched down the road. But unseen to anyone, her jaw tightened, and her fists clenched._

 _(at the Academy)_

 _Kushina was on the swings, alone, staring at the ground, as she listened to people playing around her. She then heard the sound of someone shouting._

" _Look, its the tomato who thinks she can be Hokage," one boy said. Kushina looked up, and saw a group of kids standing over her, glaring._

" _Move, its our turn," one said._

" _No!" Kushina declared, "I just got on it!" She was then grabbed by the collar, and pulled off the swing._

" _We said move!" Kushina was then thrown to the ground, but the red head's response to that was expected._

" **All they feel for you is hatred. You're a demon in their eyes, nothing more."**

 _With a shout of anger, she sprung at the boy had thrown her, and promptly had him on the ground, as she began beating him up. The other boys promptly bolted, as the fight got the other people's attention. Tears welled in Kushina's eyes as she continued beating the boy's face, until she was pulled off by some of the instructors._

 _(End Flashback)_

Kushina remained silent, as Kurama finished. The fox smiled grimly.

" **Don't you understand?"** he asked **, "Hatred is all you ever have, and ever will know. It is the true nature of emotion, of people. Always has been, always will be."**

"But I don't hate you."

Kurama was quickly realizing just how talented this girl was at rendering him speechless. Kushina just looked up at him with a look that almost looked… sympathy.

"Before you were sealed in me, Lady Mito told me that the only thing that could overcome your hatred was love," she said.

" **Tch,"** Kurama snorted **, "Pretty words, nothing more. Everything done in the world is motivated by hatred. What is history but a record of conflicts between men? What is peace but a pause between war? What is love but a temporary reprieve in hatred?"**

"Well, I don't believe that," Kushina insisted. Kurama growled at that.

" **I can not force you to believe anything,"** he said **, "But it does not make it any less true."**

"I will never believe that," Kushina answered, "I will never believe that hatred is the true nature of people. And even if it is…" She then put her fist to her heart.

"Then I will change that!" she declared, "I'll defeat hatred!" Kurama listened to that. Despite himself, images of the Sage of the Six Paths flashed through his mind.

" **How many people have made that claim?"** he asked **, "How many people have declared that they will bring an end to the hatred that permeates this world? You will never defeat hatred; it is unstoppable."** Kushina didn't answer, but she still had that confident, resolved look on her face. That sight just served to frustrate the fox even more.

" **Why do you think you can do it?"** he demanded **, "What makes you so confident that you will end that cycle of hatred?"** At first Kushina didn't respond, but then, to Kurama's shock, she leapt up to wear he was sealed, onto his nose. She then leaned down, looking into Kurama's eye, who just growled.

"Because some day, I know you and I will be friends." Kurama just opened his mouth slightly, but no words came out, as Kushina left the mental plane of existence. Memories surged through Kurama's mind….

 _(Flashback)_

" _Nine-Tails, you are merely a momentary life, a temporary existence of coalesced energy… energy that once was a single ultimate form! An unstable force, lacking in intelligence of sapience, you require a guide to show you purpose. That guide it the Uchiha! The Tailed beasts are but slaves to those with blessed eyes. Obey!"_

 _()()()_

" _Nine-Tails, your power is too great. I cannot let you roam free anymore."_

 _()()()_

" _If you use your power, only hatred will come from it. Stay tranquil, deep inside me."_

 _()()()_

" _Because some day, I know you and I will be friends."_

 _(End Flashback)_

Again, images of the Sage again flashed through Kurama's mind. And he couldn't help about what the old man told him and the others.

 _Could she be the one?_ he thought, before shaking his head _No, that's impossible!_ But the thought was there, and there it would remain.

 **(some years later)**

For the next few years, Kushina and Kurama barely communicated. This was partially because Kushina didn't have much in the way of opportunity, especially with the outbreak of the war. For the red-head, her first actual exposure to the war was when the Cloud Ninja opted to kidnap her; probably to get access to the Nine-Tails, and even though Minato had managed to save her, it was way too close for comfort. And that was just the beginning…

Kushina desperately dashed through the dark of the forests, trying to keep her eyes open for the enemies, while at the same time, trying to keep another eye on her students; unfortunately the night didn't make it easy. What was the world coming to when children had to be sent out to fight other's war?

"Kushina-Sensei!" Kushina looked over her shoulder, at her genin team, which consisted of Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and Raido Namiashi. They were all so young.

"Where are we going?" Kurenai asked.

"Away from here!" Kushina answered, before looking back in front of her, only to grind to a halt, and jump behind a tree.

"What is…," Asuma began, only for Kushina to pull him towards her, her hand over her mouth, as she looked past the tree. A battalion of Mist ninja were gathered in a clearing just outside of the forest.

"Keep quiet," Kushina whispered, "And by all means stay hidden." Her students all nodded their understanding, and for a time, they held their place in hiding.

"What do we do, Sensei?" Raido whispered.

"We wait until help comes," Kushina answered, "For now that's our only option."

"Well that's not entirely accurate." On reflex, Kushina pushed all three of her students behind her, and drew her kunai. Standing before them was Juzo Biwa, one of the infamous Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, with his sword Kubikiribocho on his shoulder.

"All of you, run!" Kushina ordered.

"We can't leave you, Sensei!" Kurenai said.

"That's an order!" Kushina snapped, before springing at Juzo, bringing down her kunai, which was easily blocked by the massive sword. Left with no other choice, the genin fled, as Kushina clashed with the swordsmen. As she did, dodging a strike from the massive blade, she heard the Nine-Tail's voice.

" _ **Damn it Kushina!"**_ he shouted _ **, "Don't forget that if you die, I die too! Don't go risking your life that recklessly!"**_ Kushina did best to ignore the voice of the fox, in order to focus on the fight in front of her, as she delivered a kick to the swordsmen.

"Sensei!" Kushina whirled around, and saw Asuma standing there. And in that instant, Kushina panicked, and she leapt at her student in a state of sheer instinct.

" _ **You fool!"**_ In hindsight, it was quite obvious, but Kushina's instincts as a teacher had kicked in, and all she thought as to protect her student. But when her back was turned, Juzo brought down his sword, leaving a massive gash across her back. Kushina let out a cry of pain, as she tumbled away, noticing the process "Asuma" turning back into a Mist ninja. As she did, Kushina passed out, silently cursing her herself.

 **(in the mental world)**

" **Why?"** Kurama asked, looking down at the red head. The Uzumaki looked up at the Tailed Beast, who was scowling at her.

"You coming to talk to me?" Kushina asked, "Well that's new." Kurama wasn't amused.

" **Why would you stay here?"**

"My role as a teacher means that I have to protect my students," Kushina answered, "If I can buy them even the slightest amount of time, then I'm content." Kurama rolled his eyes.

" **Your naivety truly knows no bounds,"** he said.

"Call it that if you want," Kushina said, "But I did what I had to do."

" **You think you saved them, don't you?"** Kurama said. Kushina looked up in surprise, before sensing something.

 **(in the physical world)**

Kushina weakly opened her eyes, and noticed she was being carried. Supporting her were Asuma and Raido.

"You… two…," she said weakly.

"Sensei!" Raido said.

"Don't worry!" Asuma said, smiling, "We'll get you back to the camp!"

"Where's…" Kushina looked behind her, and noticed Kurenai throwing kunai at the band of Mist ninja chasing after them, with Juzo leading them.

"You… fools…," Kushina murmured.

 **(in the mental world)**

" **And they render your actions worthless."** Kushina clenched her fists, as she tried to think of something to do. That was when she figured out the only option she had.

"Please help me!" Kurama looked down at her in surprise.Never before had Kushina asked for power.

"You don't me dying either!" she said, "You just said earlier that if I die, you die."

" **Fine,"** Kurama answered, his eyes turning to slits **, "You want my help, remove the seal."**

"Right!" Kushina, as she began making the appropriate hand signs to remove the seal. Mito had taught her the mechanisms of the sealing technique, if only for the sake of understanding. Needless to say, Kurama was surprised.

" **I was being sarcastic!"** he said **, "You're actually removing the seal?!"**

"If that's what it takes to save my students, then I will," Kushina said, as the seals appeared over her body.

" **If you let me out, you know I'll kill your students as well!"**

"No you won't," Kushina responded, and before Kurama could respond, she continued with a smile, "Because you're not evil. Lady Mito told me that only love can drive out the hatred. I'm starting to think that she wasn't referring to the hatred from others." She then looked Kurama straight in the eye.

"She was referring to the hatred in you." Kurama began to shake at that, as he could feel the seal starting to weaken. The look in her eyes…. the feeling it gave him…

" **All humans ever have, and ever will want is power!"** Kurama roared **, "We Tailed Beasts are nothing more than servants to be drawn upon whenever needed! Why do you insist on these ridiculous concepts?!"**

"Because I don't want you to be my servant! I want you to be partner!" Kushina declared. Kurama was taken aback at that phrase. Kushina clenched her fists.

"Maybe I can't erase all the hatred in the world. Maybe I'm just a naive girl to think that I can," she said, "But if I can erase just a little of it, then I'll consider my life well lived!" Kurama listened to her, before closing his eyes, as he remembered his time with her.

 _(Flashback)_

 _()()()_

" _What kinds of food do you like?"_

" _ **What kind of question is that?!"**_

 _()()()_

" _Hey Kistu, do you have to groom your fur?"_

 _()()()_

" _Because some day, I know you and I will be friends."_

 _(End Flashback)_

" **You're really annoying you know,"** he said.

"You've told me before," Kushina said with a grin. With that, the first of the stakes that sealed Kurama was undone.

" **You're way too trusting, as well,"** Kurama said as he began to full himself free **, "How could you know…"**

"Because I told you," Kushina interrupted, "you're not evil." Kurama just smirked at that, as the next stake was undone.

" **Well, seeing as I don't have anything better to do,"** he said **, "I'll give you a hand."** Kushina looked surprised at that, but soon smiled bigger than she had in a while.

"Alright Kistu…," she began.

" **Kurama."** Kushina blinked.

" **When we first met, you asked what my name was,"** Kurama said **, "Well, there it is."** Kushina looked surprised, before grinning.

"Let's go, Kurama!" she then declared as the last stake was removed.

 **(in the physical world)**

The genin had gotten as far as they could, but eventually, they had found themselves cornered by the Mist ninja. They had been forced to set Kushina against a tree, and prepare for battle. They were now completely surrounded by nearly thirty enemies, armed only with kunai.

"Look kids," Juzo said, spinning Kubikiribocho slightly, and slamming it into the ground, "Let's just make this easy, and hold still while I dismember you." No one could say that the genin weren't frightened, but they weren't going to break and run now.

"Bring it on!" Asuma said, "We'll kick everyone's ass!" The Mist ninja all cackled at the sound of that, accept for Juzo who just smirked. But no one was noticing the red aura that was starting to build around Kushina.

"Alright then, this is still fun!" Juzo declared, as he sprung at the genin. Despite herself, Kurenai closed her eyes in reflex. She then felt a gust of wind, and when she opened her eyes, she noticed the Mist ninja had all been thrown back, and there was a being in front of her.

The being seemed to be made of swirling red energy, and was on all fours, with a fox like visage. It had large, white eyes, and a jagged mouth. But was really distinguishing were the nine long tails that lashed behind it, and what looked like long hair lashing out from behind the head. The being looked at the genin, who flinched at the sight of it.

" **That only stunned them,"** the being said, in a voice that sounded very familiar.

"Wait…," Raido said, "Kushina-Sensei?"

" **I really don't have time to explain right now,"** Kushina said **, "We've got to go now, so hold on!"** Before the genin could say anything, three arms made out of what looked like bright red chakra reached out, and grabbed all three genin. With that, the jinchuriki started bounding through the trees, faster than ever they had ever seen.

"Sensei, what happened to you?" Asuma finally asked.

" **I told you I don't have to explain it,"** Kushina answered **, "But let's just say I've got a very good partner."** While that didn't answer their questions, the genin figured they probably wouldn't get one at this point anyway. Raido looked behind them, and noticed that they were again being pursued by the enemy.

"Sensei…"

" **I can sense them,"** Kushina interrupted, not looking back **, "Seems they won't give up."**

"What do we do?" Kurenai asked, "Keep running?"

" **We do that, we'll lead them back to our camp,"** Kushina answered, before stopping, and looking at her coming enemies, and setting her students down **, "I'll handle them."** She then jumped at the Mist ninja, who faced her.

"I don't know what's going on with you," Juzo said, "But I'll chop you to pieces!" Kushina just grinned with that jagged mouth.

" _Ready Kurama?"_

" _ **That implies that this won't be easy."**_ With that, all the Mist ninja all lunged at the jinchuriki who seemed to vanish.

"What the…," one began, only for Kushina to suddenly appear behind him, and with a swing of her claw, she sent him careening through entire trees.

"There she…" The guy didn't have time to finish either as Kushina cut him down as well. In the next instance, the jinchuriki fell another several enemies.

"Its just one woman!" Juzo snapped, "Get her!"

"But, what kind of woman…," one ninja began.

"I said get her!" Juzo snapped, before picking up that ninja and throwing him at Kushina. Out of Kushina's body, a chakra arm extended out, and caught the guy.

" **Here, you can have him back!"** Kushina answered, before throwing the ninja back at her enemies. The sheer force of the throw knocked away another two Mist ninja. Before anyone could react, the chakra arms shot out, punching away another several ninja in the process. Meanwhile, Team Kushina watched in silent awe, as their teacher single-handedly wiped out the entire Mist battalion.

"I never knew Kushina-Sensei could do all this stuff," Asuma said.

"I knew she was strong," Raido said, "But that strong…."

"Is.. is that even Kushina-Sensei?" Kurenai whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

Soon enough, most of the Mist ninja had been defeated, as Kushina perched on the tree, looking over her beaten enemies. Her tails lashed out behind her as she then looked at Juzo, the only guy still standing.

"Fine!" the swordsmen said, "I'll deal with you myself!" With that, he sprung at Kushina, bringing down Kubikiribocho with full power. The jinchuriki just held up her hand as the sword came down. The sheer force of the attack broke the branch, and set both combatants down to the ground in a massive cloud of dust.

"Sensei!" Kushina's students all called out. As the dust started to fade, Juzo smirked triumphantly. However, as the dust cleared further, he noticed what had happened. Kushina had caught the sword with her bare hand.

"How…"

" **You done?"** Kushina asked, with a smirk **, "Good, because its my turn now."** She then brought back her fist, and slammed it into Juzo's gut. The Mist ninja was sent crashing through an entire, and left an indentation in the next one. The swordsmen hacked up some blood from the sheer force of the attack. But Kushina wasn't done yet, as she started dashing towards her enemy. Noticing that, Juzo quickly made a series of hand signs.

"Water Style: Water Sniper!" From his mouth, he shot a stream of water. It cut through a tree on its way to Kushina, and while it hit directly, the Jinchuriki didn't so much as slow down as she continued the charge. With a yell, Juzo leapt forward with Kubikiribocho, swinging it down. Kushina easily dodged the attack, and heaved up Juzo, before slamming him back into the ground. Juzo looked up weakly, as he saw Kushina glaring down at him with those blank white eyes. Despite himself, Juzo felt himself shaking slightly, as Kushina put her claws to his throat.

" **Don't ever threaten my students,"** she growled **, "Clear?"**

"Transparently," Juzo answered with a slight cough. Kushina growled slightly again, before getting off him.

" **Get out of here."** She then jumped off, and landed before her students.

"That was amazing, Sensei!" Kurenai said, now with a look of absolute fascination on her face.

"How did you do all of this?" Raido asked, also amazed.

" **I don't have time to explain right now,"** Kushina answered **, "When we get back to camp I'll explain so…"**

"Sensei!" her students all shouted at once, as Juzo leapt at Kushina, a manic grin on his face as he brought Kubikiribocho down. Kushina whirled around, and thrust her hand forward. Juzo paused, as he let out a cough, as just looked down. Kushina's claw was embedded in his chest.

" **I guess it wasn't clear,"** she said, as she pulled out her claw. With that, the red energy around her dissipated, as the red-head returned to normal. Her students then noticed that the massive wound on her back had closed, and didn't look nearly as bad as it once did.

"Let's go!" Kushina said, before bounding into the trees.

"Yes Sensei!" her students sounded, as they all followed her. As they started bounding through the trees, Kushina put a hand on her stomach, and smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Kurama," she whispered.

" _ **Hmph, I just didn't have anything better to do, this doesn't make us friends or anything,"**_ Kurama answered. Kushina just chuckled slightly.

"Just you wait, Kistu," she said.

" _ **I already told you my name!"**_

 **Note: This is more or less a pet project that's been thumping around in my head for some time now. I was first inspired by seeing some of the filler ideas, which in turn helped feed a concept I'm confident already exists, but I've never really seen in use.**

 **This story will follow canon as much as it can (with the necessary alterations), but will incorporate concepts from both filler arcs, and some of the movies; to what extent will be indicated as the story progresses. Pairings are currently undecided, but for the time being, I'm inclined to follow canon in that regard as well. Because of the nature of this story, there will be OCs in this, all of varying importance. Accordingly, there will be expansions with canon characters, like what I did with Team Kushina. For what its worth, there's no reason to think that Kushina wouldn't have her own genin team before becoming pregnant.**

 **Updates will come when I've got the proper inspiration.**

 **Be sure to review.**


	2. Prologue Part 2

_**Prologue Part 2**_

"Congratulations."

"Huh?" was all Kushina responded with. The nurse turned and smiled at Kushina, looking a her notes briefly.

"I estimate you due date to be in early October." Though Kushina was initially surprised, a smile quickly spread over her face.

"That's great!" she declared.

She could've just ran home, but she wanted to get there as absolutely fast as possible. That entailed going via the roof tops, bounding all the way home.

"Minato!" she called out, slamming the door open. The blonde poked his head out the kitchen, still stirring his pot.

"What is it?" he asked, a minor look of concern on his face, "Something…" He stopped when he saw his wife grinning from ear to ear. Kushina then told him the news. Minato's eyes widened.

"Wait.. you mean…"

"I'm going to be a mother, you know!" Kushina said happily.

"I'm going to be a father!" Minato said, equally happily, as Kushina leapt into her husband's embrace.

Later that night, after the two parents-to-be finally calmed down from the initial joy of the news, they went to bed with each other. As Kushina slept, Kurama decided to strike up conversation.

 **(in the mental world)**

Kushina looked up to see Kurama lying on his stomach, looking down at her.

"What is it Kurama?" Kushina asked, rubbing her eyes slightly, "I'm trying to sleep."

" **Did it really take you that long to figure out that you're going to have a kit?"** Kurama asked, as he leaned on his hand.

"Wait?" Kushina asked, with surprise, "You knew?"

" **And don't talk me about not getting any sleep,"** Kurama said **, "I didn't get any sleep that night you first made the little thing."**

"Its not a 'thing'!" Kushina said, putting her hands on her hips, "Its a baby, you know!"

" **Whatever,"** Kurama said, waving his claw slightly.

"So, how did you know?"

" **Please, the moment you conceived I could sense a change in the flow of chakra."**

"So you just brought me here to confirm that I'm having a baby?" Kushina asked, cocking her head.

" **Actually, I brought you here to warn you,"** Kurama answered, as he sat up, and folded his arms.

"Warn me?" Kushina asked, blinking in surprise.

" **As I just said, I sensed a change in your chakra flow, which is being diverted to the child,"** Kurama explained **, "Generally, for jinchuriki, that makes the weakening of the seal. That's what happened when Mito was given birth."**

"Why is that a problem?" Kushina asked, "Its not like you're going to escape, are you?"

" **No,"** Kurama answered **, "But its not impossible, actually if anything its likely, that word will spread amongst both your friends and your enemies, that the wife of the Fourth Hokage, and the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, is going to have a child. During the period of childbirth, the seal will be weak enough, that an extraction wouldn't be difficult. They could pull me right out of you in an hour using a technique that would normally take days."** Kushina frowned at the mention of that, as she put a hand on her stomach.

 **(the next day)(in the physical world)**

Kushina told Minato what Kurama told her, and for advice they sought out the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and his wife, Biwako.

"Yes," Hiruzen said, frowning slightly, "I remember when Lady Mito gave birth. The seal was almost undone."

"Well," Kushina said, "That won't be a problem with Kurama. He won't try anything. I'm sure of it."

"We don't doubt that," Biwako answered, before smiling slightly, "You're control over the Nine-Tails did help save our son and the rest of your students." Kushina smiled at that, but frowned internally. She didn't like that word "control", because that connoted a dynamic between her and Kurama that didn't exist. They were partners, and one didn't control their partner.

"Still," Hiruzen said, "There are risks involved. As the Nine-Tails told you, both you and Minato have enemies that would like nothing more than to see the beast unleashed on the village and its people. So that end, it would be best for you to give birth in a barrier, and under guard. Better to be safe than sorry." Kushina put a hand on her stomach, where her baby was developing, and where the seal that kept Kurama within her was. She couldn't help but find it rather ironic.

 **(nine months later)**

Eventually, Kushina's due date rolled around, and she went into labor. For security purposes, they had moved to off-village location that only a few knew about: a cave in the forest, with a platoon of Anbu outside. Kushina was now screaming in pain, as she went through what was so eloquently called the "miracle of life". Kushina once heard a saying that "miracles hurt". She really hoped that was the case.

"You're doing great, Kushina!" Biwako said, "Just keep pushing!" Kushina tried to do as told, even though the pain made it difficult to think about anything other than getting this over with. Minato was by her side, holding her hand. Well, "holding" was a gentle way of putting it, it was more like "steadily crushing into powder".

"Come on Naruto!" Minato said weakly, "For both our sakes, hurry up!"

Meanwhile, with the jinchuriki Kurama could feel the chakra fluctuating through Kushina. He had felt this feeling before, when Mito was giving birth. However, when that was happening, he had been struggling in vain to escape. Now he was more or less just watching, as the energy swirl through him.

"I can see the head!" Biwako announced, "Keep pushing!" Kushina screamed so hard, the Anbu outside could hear it. The screams filled the entire cave.

"Come on Naruto!" Minato cried. Right then, the screaming stopped, and a soft crying replaced it.

"Its a boy!"

" _ **Well done, Kushina,"**_ Kurama said.

Tears streamed down Kushina's face, as the pain finally went away, as she heard the cries of her baby. Minato started crying as well.

"Finally," he said, as he reached for the baby "I'm a father."

"Not yet!" Biwako scolded, "Mother gets him first. Its the rules."

"Alright," Minato said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Biwako brought the boy over to his mother, who looked at her son for the first time. As she did, Kushina remembered the name they had decided on.

"Naruto," Kushina said weakly, but happily, "I'm so glad I'm finally able to meet you."

"You'll have plenty of other opportunities," Biwako said, with a smile, "Right now, we have other things to do." With that, she and her assistant stepped away to look over the newborn, as Minato lay a hand over her own.

"You did great, Kushina," he said.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Kushina said, smiling back at him. She then weakly put a hand over her stomach.

 _Thanks, Kurama_ she thought. Within her, Kurama just grinned.

" _ **Maybe now I can finally get some sleep,"**_ he said. Kushina chuckled at that slightly.

"Now, let's get you…," Minato couldn't finish, as he saw Biwako and her assistance collapsing to the ground.

"What?" the new parents sounded.

"Step away from the Jinchuriki!" a new voice sounded out. A man had appeared straight out of nowhere. He was as tall as Minato, and wore a hooded cloak. But what really stood him out, was the swirling mask that covered his face. However, neither Minato or Kushina were paying attention to that, the only thing their attention was on was the fact that Naruto was in grasp.

"I said step away from the Jinchuriki!" the man ordered, "Or would you rather this boy die in his first few seconds?" As the parents looked on with horror, Kurama leaned up, and narrowed his eyes. _This feeling_ he thought.

"Who are you!" Minato demanded.

"Who I am is irrelevant at this point," the masked man said as he pulled out a kunai, and held it up to Naruto, "Now if you care what happens to this brat, step away from the jinchuriki!"

"Look, just take it easy!" Minato said, holding up his hand.

"I'm actually taking it quite easy," the man hissed, "You're the one who seems to be acting quite manic." He then held the knife closer to Naruto, until it was starting to poke the baby in the cheek.

"Kurama!" Kushina cried, "Help!" Within in her Kurama cringed.

" _ **In your current state, you would be in serious danger if I attempted to channel my chakra through you,"**_ he explained.

"I don't care!" Kushina cried, "You have to save Naruto!"

"You know I'm on a deadline," the masked man said, "And this is taking way too long." With that, he tossed Naruto into the air.

"NARUTO!" Kushina screamed. The man then lunged at Naruto with his kunai, but before he could do anything, the baby was caught by Minato, and seemingly taken out of danger.

"I expected nothing less form the Fourth Hokage," the masked man said, as he landed, "But let's see how you react to this." He then took a stance. Minato then noticed several sparked paper bombs under Naruto's blanket.

"MINATO! NARUTO!" Kushina cried. Fortunately, Minato was a quick thinker, as he instantly transported himself away, to an old equipment shed he sometimes used, tossing away the blanket, which promptly exploded. The force still sent him flying away, as he held Naruto close. When he skidded to a halt, and he regained his equilibrium, he looked down, and quickly looked over his son.

"Naruto's alright," he said with a relieved sigh. He then noticed a shard of wood in his leg. But he didn't care. All he cared about now were his wife and his son. _He wanted Kushina_ he thought as he pulled the shard out _And now he has her. I've got to move fast._ He then flashed himself to a safe house a few miles from village, and gently set Naruto in bed.

"Just stay safe here," he said softly, as he placed the now sleeping Naruto under the covers, "I'll be right back with your mother."

 **(somewhere else)**

The still weak Kushina had been brought to an area a few miles from the village, which consisted of a pond and a series of rock pillars. Kushina had recognized it as the place where the Nine-Tails had been sealed within her. She was now being bound to the rocks through chakra chains, as the masked man stood before her.

"I know that you're marked with Minato's Flying Raijin seal," the masked man said, "He can go to wherever you are instantly. So I'd like to get this over with quickly."

"What do you want?" Kushina demanded from the man

"Isn't it clear?" the man asked, and while Kushina couldn't see his face, she could hear the smirk on his voice, "I've been waiting a long time for this chance. I'll be taking the Nine-Tails now, and then I'll be destroying Konoha." Horror resonated throughout the red-head, as the man took the stance. That was when Kushina noticed his eye. It was the Sharingan.

 **(in the mental world)**

A feeling suddenly resonated with Kurama, as he grabbed his head. He recognized this feeling.

" **No,"** he said **, "It can't be…."** Right then, his eye swirled, as it took on the shape of the Sharingan. He then began to feel himself being pulled…

 **(in the physical world)**

Kushina couldn't even scream as she could feel Kurama's chakra being drawn to the surface, as the seal began to decay. _Kurama_ she thought weakly.

" _ **I'm sorry, Kushina."**_ The red chakra around Kushina then flared up, as it exploded from the seal on her stomach.

"Now come out, Nine-Tails!" the masked man ordered. With that, with a roar, Kurama exploded into the physical world, trapped in the masked man's genjutsu, and now under his thrall.

"Now that that's done with," the masked man said, "Let's go on to the village." But as he started to walk away, he heard Kushina starting to get up.

"So you're still alive even after the extraction?" he said, looking over to the red-head trying to get back on her feet, "The Uzumakis are truly impressive, though I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else from the Red Vixen of Konoha." Kurama growled as he looked down at Kushina, his eyes blank.

"Kurama," Kushina weakly called as she looked up at him.

"I heard that you got such a title through your masterful control of your Tailed Beast," the masked man said. Kurama then held up one of his claws.

"How fitting would it be for me to have him kill you?" With a roar, Kurama was forced to bring his claw down on Kushina. The force kicked up a massive cloud of dust. But when the fox moved his hand, it was revealed that Kushina had disappeared. It wasn't difficult for the masked to figure out what had happened.

"The Yellow Flash truly lives up to his name,"he said, "Well, it doesn't matter at this point. Come along Nine-Tails." Kurama could only growl, as he remained trapped in the genjutstu.

 **(at the safe house)**

Minato flashed into the house, Kushina in his arms, weak, but alive.

"Minato," Kushina said softly, "He's going to take the Nine-Tails to the village. You have to stop them."

"Don't worry," Minato answered gently, as he carried Kushina to Naruto's bed, "I'll deal with everything. Just stay here with Naruto." He then set Kushina in the bed beside their sleeping son. Kushina then slowly reached up, and pulled Naruto close to her, pressing her forehead to his, whispering his name as she did. Seeing this sight, made Minato clench his fists in determination.

"Thank you, Minato," she said, before looking back, "And good luck." Minato then put on his forehead protector, and Fourth Hokage coat.

"I'll be right back," he said firmly.

 **(in the village)**

It was a regular evening in Konoha, as most people made the preparations for turning in for the night. That included everything from making stops at grocery stores, to coming and going from bars. Two of the people walking down the street were Kakashi Hatake, and Might Guy, though it was more Guy was just following and pestering Kakashi, rather than the two walking together.

"How many times are you going to refuse me?!" Guy demanded, "We must spar!"

"You know we do have a mission tomorrow," Kakashi said, glancing back at his self-proclaimed rival, "Can't we just do a game of rock, paper, scissors?"

"Its the springtime of youth!" Guy declared, "And we've got to make the absolute most of it! The best way is with some hardcore training! And the best train…." He stopped, as he noticed Kakashi had stopped walking.

"Do you feel that?" Kakashi asked.

"The only thing I feel is your chilly attitude!" Guy snapped, pointing a finger in his face.

 **(at the Uchiha household)**

With their parents out, Itachi claimed the task of taking care of Sasuke for himself. He was now sitting on the wooden porch, looking up at the sky, his baby brother in his arms.

"What's this feeling?" Itachi asked out loud. _Of all the nights for Mom and Dad to go out?_ he thought. He then noticed Sasuke squirming, as he started to cry.

"You feel it too, don't you Sasuke," Itachi said softly, as he held his brother close, "But don't worry, you're brother won't let anything happen to you."

 **(at the Sarutobi household)**

Hiruzen was doing some reading when he sensed a dark presence in the air. Puffing his pipe slightly, he glanced out the window at the rising moon.

"Could it be?" he muttered

 **(in the village)**

The masked man landed in an alleyway in some random spot at the village. He didn't even pause to look around, before slamming his hand onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a massive burst of smoke, which sent a blast of wind across half the village, knocking people to their feet. As the people all looked up, and at that smoke, they saw a shape. It was absolutely massive, and nine lashing forms going through the air. A pair of glowing red eyes then appeared.

"Wait, that's the…," one person said. A rumbling growl rumbled through the village, as the form loomed over, revealing itself in the process. The beast then reared up, spread its arms, and roared.

"Its the Nine-Tails!"

"Go, Nine-Tails!" the masked man ordered. With a roar, Kurama commenced his attack.

The enthralled fox held up his claws, before with a single swipe, it uprooted an entire structure. His tails lashed out, crushing another several buildings. Kurama let out another roar, sending out a shockwave that blasted away several blocks, and hundreds of people.

"So after all those precautions, the Nine-Tails was still extracted," Hiruzen muttered to himself looked out through his window, as he adjusted his gauntlets, ready to charge into battle himself. _Biwako_ he thought, knowing that must have happened to his wife.

"Cursed beast!" Guy shouted, as he took battle stance in the direction of the fox, "Come out and face me so that I may release all my energy! I, Might Guy, shall be your opponent!"

"Don't act recklessly!" Kakashi said, "You and I both know the level of control Kushina has over the Nine-Tails. This doesn't make any sense!"

"Battle doesn't need to make sense!" Guy declared, keeping his battle stance, "I will fight the fox!" However, before he could charge at the beast, Shinku Yuhi dropped in front of them.

"Both of you need to get to the safe area!" the jonin ordered, "These orders come directly from Lord Third!"

"Lord Hiruzen?" Guy asked, "But…"

"We've got our orders," Kakashi said, graving Guy's collar, and yanking him away.

Meanwhile, the Leaf ninja were trying to counterattack against Kurama. But, needless to say, it wasn't going well. Any attack that they threw at the beast proved completely ineffective, seeing as very few of them had a just in their arsenal that could challenge such a massive creature. Kurama, meanwhile, just clawed away any ninja that got too close. At the same time, on the Hokage monument, Minato had landed on his own head, looking over the village, and Kurama's rampage. He narrowed his eyes, as he held out his special kunai. _Sorry Kurama, I know this isn't you_ he thought _But until you can be freed from the genjutsu, you are a danger to the village!_

However, unbeknownst to the Fourth, the masked man was standing in the streets, looking up at him. He narrowed his one visible eye, and gave the Nine-Tails an unspoken command. Kurama then turned towards the Hokage monument, and opened his mouth. Red and blue chakra was then gathered in his mouth, forming a large orb. Minato recognized that technique, as he got ready. Right then, Kurama fired his Tailed Beast Ball, to which Minato held up his dagger against.

A seal appeared in front of him, which the orb collided with. It then seemed to be soaked into the orb, until it vanished completely. Minato then made quick gesture. Off into the distance, there was a massive explosion. Minato cringed slightly; that took a lot of energy out of him. He then looked back out at Kurama, who continued his clash with the Leaf ninja. _I've got to be cautious about redirecting them_ , Minato thought _But first I need to get into contact with Lord Hiruzen and tell him about…_ He stopped his thinking, when he sensed a presence behind him.

Minato thrust his dagger behind him at the masked man, only for both the dagger and his arm to phase cleanly through the man, like he wasn't even there. Minato barely even had time to react, as the masked man grabbed Minato's arm.

"Apologies, but I can't have you getting in my way at this point," the masked man said. With that, he activated some kind of just based in his eye, as everything seemed to be sucked into it. However, before Minato could get sucked in, he flashed away with his Flying Raijin.

"So he got away?" the masked man mused, "Oh well, it won't happen again."

 **(at Minato's shed)**

Minato landed in a heap in the forest clearing. As he got up, he rubbed his chin.

"That was way too close," he muttered, "That jutsu…" He then sensed a presence, as he noticed the same warping effect, as the masked man reappeared.

"I must say I'm impressed," the man said, "But that won't help you escape." Minato cringed, as he pulled his kunai out of the ground, and held it at the ready.

"Who are you?!" he demanded.

"Come now," the masked man said, "Do you really think that's important at the moment?"

"No," Minato answered, "What's important is why you attacked the Leaf."

"For war's sake, for peace's, for boredom's sake, for revenge's sake, or because I felt like it," the masked man answered as a chain dropped from his sleeve, "You can choose." Minato cringed, as he got ready to fight. _If I can beat him, that should break the genjutsu on Kurama_ he thought _That could at least solve one problem. But for now, I have to entrust the village to Lord Hiruzen._

"Now, shall we begin?" the masked man asked. With that, the two ninja launched themselves at each other.

 **(in the village)**

The still enthralled Kurama continued to thrash throughout the village, crushing everything and everyone in his path. Fortunately, what little he control he had left was being used to keep him just using the physical attacks. If he started using chakra based attacks, such as his Tailed Beast Ball, the village would already be in total ruin. Kurama pulled back his fist, and slammed it into the ground, sending a massive ripple of force going throughout the village, and blasting many of the attacking ninja away. Several ninja leapt at him, only to be impaled on Kurama's claws, and thrown away.

"Hold the attack and wait for the Fourth Hokage!" one ninja ordered.

"Don't break off!" Hurizen ordered, as he swung the Enma Staff at Kurama, only to for the fox to block at the attack with his arm. He then dodged the a strike from the claws, as he made several quick hand signs.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb!" A massive stream of fire then blasted down at Kurama, who easily took the blast, and clawed at Hiruzen again. Kurama then inhaled, and let out another roar, that was so strong it blasted an entire building out of the ground. Left with no other choice but to continue his attack, Kurama held up a fist for another attack.

Right then, however, his eyes changed, as the pupil returned to its natural slitted appearance. Kurama regained his senses, as he could feel the genjutsu being broken. The ninja were all shocked as the beast suddenly stopped its assault, as it reared up, and looked around.

 _Minato must've defeated the Uchiha_ the fox thought. Kurama then saw all the damage that he had caused. He clenched his fangs in frustration, as his claws gashed through the ground.

However, Kurama was suddenly broken from his thoughts, as he felt another stream of attacks from the ninja. The fox didn't respond this time in kind. Instead, he braced himself, and leapt away, out of the village walls. Not long after that, the ninja came after him.

" **Damn it!"** Kurama growled, as he held up his arms to block their attacks **, "I'm trying to leave!"** However, none of the ninja either heard him, or were paying attention, as he was forced to block more of the attacks. That was when he felt a presence on his back.

"Sorry about all this, Kurama," Minato said.

" **We'll discuss what happened, later,"** Kurama said.

"Just bear with it for a little while longer!" With that, he activated his Flying Raijin, and an instant, the Nine-Tails had disappeared. Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief at that, but he still frowned at the place where the Nine-Tails had been. He had been among the few who noticed when the fox had stopped his attack, and became defensive. It was indicative of a genjutsu being broken, which explained a lot, but also opened up a number of questions.

"Lord Third, what do we do now?" an Anbu asked.

"We got back to the village, and start rescue operations!" Hiruzen ordered, "Trust the Fourth to deal with the beast!"

 **(back at the safe house)**

Minato had decided the best place to bring Kurama was his safe house, where Kushina and Naruto were as well. When they arrived, Minato had brought Kushina out as well. Naruto was in Kushina's arms. Disturbed, Naruto started to cry.

"Sorry to wake you," Kushina said weakly, as she held him close. Kurama took a breath, as he rubbed his head. The family then looked up at the fox.

" **To think I let myself be controlled by an Uchiha again,"** he growled **, "Disgraceful."**

"None of this was your fault, Kurama," Kushina said, "It was that masked man." Kurama looked in the direction of the village, and clenched his claws.

" **The fact that Madara alone could control was bad enough,"** he said **, "But the fact that this new man was able to subjugate me says a lot. This raises a whole new menagerie of problems and questions."**

"We don't know enough about what happened yet to make any judgements," Minato said, to the fox, "Later, I'll have to investigate everything. But for now, we need to figure out what to do with you."

"You can seal him back into me, right?" Kushina asked, as she knelt in the grass and soothed her crying son.

"No," Minato said, "You're too weak right now, and your chakra is too depleted. A full sealing jutsu could hurt you more than anything else."

" **He's right,"** Kurama said **, "As durable as you Uzumakis are, this could seriously damage you and your body."**

"So what do we do?" Kushina asked, "If your allowed to just go out on your own, you'd be sought out by every single village."

" **That's true,"** Kurama agreed **, "But there's another option."** That immediately got the attention of Minato and Kushina.

"What is it?"

" **You could divide my being in half,"** Kurama explained **, "One half can be sealed in Kushina, since I'm confident she'd survive that. You can seal the other half in someone one else."**

"Who?" Kushina asked. She then looked at Minato, and noticed that he was looking at Naruto.

"Wait!" she said, clutching her son, who had finally stopped crying, to her chest, "You don't mean…"

"Jiraya-Sensei once told me about a prophecy," Minato explained, "The prophecy of a child that would someday save the world."

"And you think Naruto could be the one?" Kushina asked.

"I don't know," Minato answered, "But I have faith in our son, and he were to have Kurama's aide, then I'm sure that he could do it, and we can teach him."

"You know the stigma I held as jinchuriki," Kushina said, "You would have him grow up with that?"

"He'll have both of us at his side," Minato said, "He won't be alone in this world. That I promise you." Kushina listened to that, as she looked at her boy. Kurama also listened, and thought about the Sage, and his own prophecy. Could it really be referring to this boy?

"As long as we're here for him," Kushina said, "I guess I can accept it, so long as I can train him myself." The two then looked to Kurama who folded his arms, and shrugged slightly.

" **Wouldn't be my first choice,"** he said **, "But I have heard the prophecy as well, and I'm willing to take the chance."** The parents all smiled at the mention of that.

"I'll begin the sealing preparations," Minato said, as he clasped his hand together. Kushina looked down at Naruto, and kissed his forehead.

"I just hope that this works," she said. Kurama's keen ears heard that. He certainly hoped as well.

 **(later, on the Hokage monument)**

The masked man stood atop Hashirama's head, as he looked over the damage that the Nine-Tails had caused. He looked to his side, where the worst of the damage had been done by the Fourth's Rasengan. Not only had he failed to destroy Konoha, he'd lost his chance to seize the Nine-Tails.

"Never pays to be overzealous." The masked man whirled around, and saw, sitting on a rock behind him, another masked man. The man was dressed in a plain, black and white ninja battle garb. On his back was a long, thin scimitar, and his head was wrapped in bandages. But was most distinguishing, was the mask on his face. It was a plain white, with a completely smooth surface, save for a long horizontal slit over where his eyes would be. The masked man took his battle stance.

"Come now," the other man said, "You know you aren't in a state to fight me."

"Good, because I'd defeat you."

"I don't doubt that, but sadly that's not the case. You know, you could've just extracted the Nine-Tails, and left, but instead you decide to use it to ravage the village. Old grudge I take it?"

"I have no reason to tell you," the masked man said.

"Well, I really don't care anyway," the other man countered, "I've got much more important things on my mind."

"Such as?"

"Bringing order to a chaotic world," the other said as he rose to his feet, and folded his arms. The masked man listened to that, as his eye narrowed.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Not really a friend, not really an enemy. I can be either though, depending on what you choose." The masked man and the other man then stared each other down.

"So, what do you choose?"

 **(later at the village)**

The sealing had gone on without a hit. After it was done, and Minato had put Kushina and Naruto back to rest, he immediately went back to the village, to oversee the damage. When he got there, on the one hand he was relieved, seeing as considering who attacked the village, only one part of the village was seriously damaged. But on the other hand, while buildings could be repaired, people couldn't be. The casualties had mounted quickly, and while Minato wasn't sure how many there were exactly yet, he did know that there were too many. Nothing to do now, though, but start rebuilding.

"Minato!" The Fourth turned, and saw Hiruzen dropping down to his level.

"Lord Third," Minato said with respectable nod.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Minato frowned at that question, as he looked back at the damage.

"I'm really not sure," he answered, "It was like everything was going fine then…" That was when he remembered something rather important.

"Lady Biwako!" he said with horror. He looked at Hiruzen who looked down solemnly.

"Lord Hiruzen, I'm…" Minato was silenced when the Third held up his hand.

"Its alright, I don't blame you," he said, "You fought long and hard to protect the village against an opponent you knew nothing of, and had no preparation against, and you saved us all. How's Kushina and your son?"

"Both are tired and weak, but alive," Minato answered.

"Minato," Hiruzen said, putting a hand on his successor's shoulder, "You've done more than enough for the village. Go to your family, and get some rest."

"But…"

"No 'buts'," Hiruzen said, "If you don't do it, I'll drag you back myself." Minato was surprised, but smiled at that, and nodded, and flashed back to the house that he brought his family to after the sealing. Taking an exhausted breath, he took off his coat, and put it in the hanger for the day.

"If nothing else, this will be something Naruto can tell his kids about," he said. Normally, Minato would have laughed at his own joke, but was too tired to do it.

After that, he entered into the bedroom he shared with Kushina. There he saw his wife and son fast asleep in bed, the latter held tight in the former's arms. Minato smiled as he sat on the bed, and stroked his son's cheek.

"Don't worry, Naruto," he whispered, "You're dad's here. And he's never going to leave you." Naruto stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. Kushina also stirred slightly.

"..you know,' she said in her sleep, as she pulled her son closer. Minato couldn't help but chuckle at that, and wonder if his son would inherit such a quirk.

 **Note: As you could no doubt see, I omitted the fight between Tobi and Minato. Mostly because it would've gone just like in canon, and no need to detail something that we already know. I'll do that probably periodically through the story, where if I can't put in enough divergences, I'll just not write the scene itself.**

 **Now to those who may be disappointed that Minato and Kushina survived (if the cover didn't make it rather clear), it stands to reason that if Kurama had been their ally, I'd argue that it would be unlikely that they would've died. However, this opens up a whole other points of divergence for the story to take.**

 **This concludes the prologue, but it won't immediately go into the main story. There are a couple of things that will need to be covered first, that don't count as prologue in my opinion.**

 **Please review.**


	3. The Budding Leaf

_**The Budding Leaf**_

Every time Minato was stuck with paperwork, he reminded himself that all his predecessors went through similar trials. It came with the job, and was vital to it. Didn't make it any more pleasant though. But nonetheless, Minato just clenched his teeth each day, and muscled his way through it. Most of it still had to do with Kurama's attack on the village.

It had been a few months since the attack, and the village had recovered, though Minato was still busy as ever. The attack had left the Leaf vulnerable, and there was a legitimate risk that its enemies would take advantage of this. However, so far, there had been very little word of incursions from the Cloud or the Mist. This gave serious hopes for peace between the separate nations.

As he continued his work, Minato almost found himself praying for something to come and take the load off, if only for a time. And apparently someone heard his prayers, as he suddenly sensed a presence. Instinctively, he went on guard, as he stood up and looked around. He noticed some papers that apparently fell off his desk, and floating to the ground; then he realized they were floating _up_. It didn't take long for Minato to realize what was going on.

"Konan!" he said, with a smile. The papers then all came together to form a distinctly humanoid shape, and then came together to form a woman with short blue hair with an origami flower in it, and orange eyes. She was wearing a long gray jacket with a hood, and she was wearing a forehead protector with the symbol of the Rain.

"Greetings Minato." Konan was one of three orphans from the Rain Village, who were taken in and trained by Jiraya. Minato had met the three of them through Jiraya, who Minato also studied under. Since then, they had all become fast friends; especially since they shared the ideals of simply not letting children go to war. The three of them were also the leaders of the resistance against Hanzo, the dictator of the Rain.

"So, what brings you here?" Minato asked, sitting back down.

"We all heard about the Nine-Tails attack," Konan said, as she pulled a chair over, and took a seat, "That's gotten the attention of lots of people."

"Well, I figured that much," Minato said, as he sat back in his chair, "Anything I should be worried about?"

"The Cloud and the Mist aren't in any better place than you are right now," Konan said, "You don't have to worry about them. But there are a few criminals that might try and take advantage of the fallout. Two that come to mind is a follower of the cult of Jashin, and a rogue from the Waterfall."

"I'll definitely keep an eye out for them," Minato said, folding his hands.

"If I may ask," Konan said, "Can you tell me what happened with the Nine-Tails?"

"Well its a long story, but a man in a mask who claimed that he was Madara Uchiha…," Minato began.

"Madera Uchiha?!" Konan asked with a start. Minato was surprised as well.

"Have you met him as well?" he asked. Konan frowned as she remembered something.

"Before we started the rebellion, a masked man came before us, claiming to be Madara Uchiha," she explained, "He tried to get us on his side, but Yahiko rejected him." Minato folded his arms, as he tapped his finger on his arm.

"So this man has been around for a while now?" he mused.

"We'll definitely be keeping our eyes open now, if he's threatening other villages as well," Konan said, rubbing her chin, "So, how did you deal with the Nine-Tails?"

"We ended sealing half of the fox's chakra in Kushina, and the other half in Naruto, my son," Minato answered, "We were lucky that Kushina was on good terms with the fox."

"Oh yes your son was just born, wasn't he?" Konan said.

"Indeed he was," Minato said with a smile.

"I'm sure Yahiko and Nagato will be pleased to hear that," the blue haired woman said with a smile.

"I can take you to meet him," Minato said with a smile, "I'm sure Kushina would be happy to see you as well."

"Well…," Konan began, shifting her seat.

"Konan, you're my friend," Minato said, "No reason why I shouldn't do it." Konan thought about for a time, before taking a breath.

"Perhaps some other time," she said, standing up, "I need to go now."

"Alright," Minato said, "Always good to see you." He then leaned forward.

"You think maybe you can take some of these papers with you as you go?" he asked.

"See you soon, Minato," Konan said plainly, before turning into clouds of paper, which floated out the window.

"Damn," Minato said, looking out the window, "So close."

 **(later at the Uzumaki-Namikaze household)**

"Who's Mommy's little ninja?" Kushina asked, "You are! Yes you are!" Kushina was lying on her back on the couch, holding Naruto over her, who laughed, enjoying all the attention from his mommy. Looking at her baby couldn't help but make Kushina think of the genin who had been dragged out to battle.

"You better not be going out to war when you grow up," Kushina said, looking up at Naruto. Right then, she heard a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Kushina asked to her son, poking him in the nose. She then got up, still holding her son, and went to the door. Upon opening, she saw a tall man with long, black hair, pale skin, and large slitted eyes with two purple lines going down them. He was wearing a usual Leaf ninja mission uniform. At first Kushina was surprised, but then she smiled.

"Orochimaru-Sensei!" she said. The man then smiled right back at her.

"Good morning, Kushina," he said. Orochimaru was one of the Sannin, the three legendary ninja who distinguished themselves in the Second Great War, he was also the jonin Kushina had studied under during her time as a genin.

"Please come in," Kushina said, stepping out of the way. Orochimaru did as invited, and once he did, he looked down at Naruto.

"So this is your son?" he asked, "Certainly looks like Minato."

"That's what everyone's been saying," Kushina said, as she sat back down on the couch. Orochimaru sat on a chair across from her. The baby looked up at Orochimaru, and his smile immediately vanished, and he scowled at the jonin the best a baby could scowl.

"Another little Namikaze running about," Orochimaru mused, "Now there's a thought."

"Actually," Kushina said, as she looked at her baby, "Minato and I decided that he'd inherit my name. It was Minato's suggestion actually, saying that it was important to keep the Uzumaki clan alive as best we can."

"Suppose I can understand that much," Orochimaru said with a shrug.

"So what brings you here?" Kushina asked, setting Naruto in her lap.

"I had just completed my mission, and heard about the recent events in the village," Orochimaru said, folding his hands, "Figured I come and offer my student congratulations."

"If I knew you were coming, I would've put on some tea," Kushina said.

"You're busy enough as it is," Orochimaru said smoothly, "I can't impose myself on a new mother." As he talked, Kushina could feel Kurama stirring inside of her. The fox always got uneasy when Kushina was with Orochimaru. Not that Kushina couldn't understand, the man had an aura that could feel downright ominous at times. But Kushina trusted him; he was her sensei, and he had saved her life a number of times. Suddenly then, Minato flashed in.

"Sorry to come in this way, but…," he then stopped when he saw who had come, "Master Orochimaru!"

"Ah, Minato," Orochimaru said with a slight smile, "Good to see you again."

"You as well," Minato said with a respectful nod, "Are you looking for Jiraya-sensei?"

"I'm just here to congratulate you on the birth of your son."

"Oh, well thank you then."

"I heard about the Nine-Tails attack on the village," Orochimaru said with a frown, "I wish I could've been here to assist, I would've subdued the beast with little issue."

"The ninja of the Leaf fought bravely, fought together, and we won," Minato said, sitting beside Kushina, and tousling Naruto's hair as he did, "Though it should be noted that someone with the Sharingan, was able to not only extract the Nine-Tails, but place it under a genjutsu to control it."

"The Sharingan, eh?" Orochimaru inquired, arching an eyebrow, "So, the Uchiha were behind this?"

"Well, there's no guarantee about that," Minato said, frowning, "This man could've have easily been a rogue."

"Of course," Orochimaru said with a nod, "Though you should always keep an eye on that clan. Even the First Hokage knew that." Minato opted not to pursue that topic.

"Be sure to be on guard," the pale man said, "I'm sure you understand that our enemies will take advantage of this."

"Actually," Minato said, as he took Naruto from Kushina's lap, and put him in his own, "There is word of potential peace talks between the Leaf and the Cloud. I'm sure the Mist will follow shortly after."

"Of course," Orochimaru said with more than a hint of dismissiveness, "But still never pays to be prepared." He then rose to his feet.

"Forgive me," he said, "But I've intruded on you enough. In addition, I've got other pressing issues that deserve my attention."

"Feel free to come again, Sensei," Kushina said with a smile, "Perhaps I can get Fugaku to join me."

"I'm sure you will," Orochimaru said, before departing, not saying anything else. Once he was out, and the door closed, Minato sighed as he stood up, Naruto still in his arms.

"That man gives me the shivers," he said.

"He's my teacher," Kushina said, "And at least he's not a complete pervert like Jiraya." Minato chuckled at that, as he held up Naruto.

"I guess I can't argue with that," he said.

 **Note: I'm basing a number of concepts in this story on what I know about the in-universe timeline, based on either statements by the characters, Narutopedia, flashbacks, and character age, with some guessing and some math. And of course, with some simple but necessary alterations to canon.**

 **One idea had thumping through my head, was the idea that perhaps because Minato has the same master as the Ame Trio, they could form a mutual friendship. This will of course come into play later on, as for how, you'll find out.**

 **I've seen a few ideas of a jonin instructor, but most of the time, Tsunade seems to end up being Kushina's instructor. So to that end, I figured there wasn't any reason to not mix up a little, so I decided for the sake of the story to make Orochimaru Kushina's instructor. Again, alterations can be necessary. That's not say, though, that Orochimaru still didn't train Anko, but even in universe, it seemed more of an apprenticeship than a jonin-genin dynamic.**

 **Please review.**


	4. The Hyuga Affair

_**The Hyuga Affair**_

When Minato heard the news that the Land of Lightning was offering peace terms, he had barely believed it. It almost seemed to good to be true. It was not until he learned of the coming of the Head Ninja of the Cloud to sign the treaty, that it seemed to be real. It had been only a short time after Naruto's third birthday, which Minato was glad about; he didn't want Naruto to be dragged out to war as well. The treaty signing went well, and Minato was happy to come home that day to tell Kushina his day.

"Daddy!" Naruto called out as he ran up to his father.

"Hey Naruto!" Minato said, picking his son up, "Did you give your mom any trouble?"

"He's our kid," Kushina said, as she came out of the kitchen, "What do you think?" Minato chuckled, as put Naruto on his shoulders.

"People are already saying that he takes after you," he said, "I wonder how he'd look with red hair."

"You mean like Mommy's hair?" Naruto asked, as he tried to envision himself with red hair, "Hmm…"

"Then he wouldn't look like Naruto," Kushina said, smiling at her son, "So, how did the meeting go?" Minato smiled as well.

"The head Cloud ninja looked quite sincere in his peace plans," he said, "I think the war's finally come to an end."

"What's 'war'?" Naruto asked, looking down at his parents. They both looked up at him, their smiles fading.

"Something that you'll hopefully never experience," Minato said.

"Are you sad?" Naruto asked, cocking his head.

"No," Kushina said with a gentle smile, "Actually, we're very happy."

 **(later that night)**

Generally, when the family went to sleep, Naruto slept between his parents, admittedly mostly because of Kushina's insistence. Not that it was a problem or anything, Minato was happy to have his whole family with him during the night. Somehow it helped him sleep more soundly. Not that he it didn't leave him unaware, though there were times he wished it did.

When he heard the door knock, he sat up, being careful not to disturb his wife or son. Fortunately though, both of them were quite heavy sleepers. Minato went to the door, and when he opened it, he saw an Anbu at his door. The Hokage yawned.

"Its the middle of the night," Minato said, rubbing his eyes, "This better be…"

"Lord Hiashi just killed the Cloud's Head Ninja!" Needless to say, that woke Minato up.

 **(at the Hyuga compound)**

"…and when I saw my daughter in his grasp, I simply acted on instinct," Hiashi Hyuga finished.

"I understand," Minato said, with a nod, "I definitely would've done the same thing." The moment after he got the news, he had headed directly over to the Hyuga compound, to speak with Hiashi and the others. The Third Hokage was there as well. They were now all assembled by candlelight, in the main room.

"I imagine this will rekindle the war," a Hyuga elder said, "There is no doubt that the Cloud will deny everything."

"Not necessarily," Hiruzen said, as he puffed his pipe, "I imagine that the Cloud will try and find a more diplomatic solution out of this."

"They're just as worn out as we are," Minato said, "They don't want a revived conflict anymore than we do."

"Then they'll definitely deny a part in this," Hiashi said, "If they admit it, they'll be inviting even more suspicion from other nations, so they'll likely claim this ninja acted on his own."

"Or outright deny it happened," the elder commented, "The Cloud aren't good at accepting blame." Minato rubbed his temples in frustration. Just when things seemed like they were going to be resolved, this had to happen, not that he blamed Hiashi. Hiashi was on the same team as Minato when they were genin, but more importantly, he was also one of Minato's closest friends and comrade.

"We haven't gotten a response yet," Hiruzen said, folding his hands, and glaring at the candle, which was getting progressively shorter, "We can't act until then, and no doubt the Cloud are debating what to do just as much as we are."

"Alright," Minato said, rising to his feet, "We'll adjourn until tomorrow. I think we could all use some serious rest." The group dispersed, and as Minato left, he saw Hiashi standing on the engawa, staring at the night sky, so Minato decided to talk with him.

"Again, I don't blame you," he said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "You were just being a dad." Hiashi glanced at the Hokage with his white eyes, and took a breath.

"I should have been with you when that masked man attacked you," he said, "You would've done the same for me." Minato smiled at that.

"Hinata just turned three, didn't she?" he asked, "Maybe she and Naruto can be friends?" Hiashi smiled at that as well, chuckling slightly. But the smile soon faded, as it turned into a frown.

"I already know what's going to happen," he said, looking back at the sky, "They're going to be calling for my head." Minato couldn't help but recoil back at that, before furrowing his brow with resolve.

"I'm not going to let that happen," he said.

"You might not have a choice," Hiashi said, "Don't assume I'm opposed to that idea." That caught Minato off guard.

"What?"

"I am more than willing to give my life, it means protecting the village," Hiashi said, looking straight at his teammate, "Jiraya-Sensei taught us the importance of sacrifice. I don't want Hinata or Naruto to go to war like we did. If my death means that won't happen, then its a small price to pay."

"Don't go jumping to anything just yet," Minato said, "We don't know what's gong to happen yet."

"Perhaps," Hiashi said, looking back at the sky, but he didn't sound convinced. The signals became apparent, as Minato departed. As he headed back to his house, he pondered about what would possess the Cloud to do this. Was this just the work of a lone wolf? Perhaps Minato could get into contact with the Rain Trio to find out what was happening; if anyone could find out what was going on, they could.

Eventually, he arrived at home, and open the door. When he did, he saw Kushina sitting on the couch, holding a sleeping Naruto.

"Have you been up this whole time?" Minato asked. Kushina ran her hand through her son's hair.

"So, what's happening?" she asked softly. Minato sighed, as he sat in the chair across from her.

"I don't know yet," he answered, "Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow, so I'm going to have to go back later." Kushina looked at her husband sympathetically.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Its not your fault," Minato said, "Its this damn world."

 **(the next day at the Hyuga compound)**

Turns out Hiashi was right. The Cloud was now demanding the life of their ninja's murderer; an eye for an eye. Minato hated that concept.

"There's got to be another way!" he insisted.

"Well, there isn't," Hiashi said bluntly. Minato was in the compound with Hiashi, Hyuga clan elders, Hiruzen, as well as the de-facto head of the branch family, Hizahi, who was also Hiashi's twin brother.

"I thought I made it clear to you that I was willing to do this," Hiashi said calmly, "This is what must be done, and I'm more than ready to do it." Minato clenched his fists; how was he supposed to live with himself, if he knew he sent his teammate and best friend to his death?

"There's actually another way," the elder said. All eyes immediately went to the elder, thinking he had just saved the day; Minato for an instance certainly did.

"They only asked for Hiashi's body, that means what they really want is the Byakugan," the elder continued, "So to that tend, perhaps if we were to send Hizashi in Hiashi's place, the Byakugan would be sealed, and we would avoid this issue." A silence quickly set over the room. Minato opened his mouth to respond, but Hiashi beat him to it.

"I won't allow that," he said firmly.

"The Byakugan is a treasured secret of the Leaf," the elder elaborated, "You know what were to happen should it fall into the hands of the enemy. This is the purpose of the branch families." Hiashi balked at that, as did Minato.

"Hiashi, you are the head of the clan. This must be; it is our destiny, our fate." Hiashi clenched his fists in frustration.

"Come now, my Lord," Hizashi said, smirking at his brother, "I always thought of you as decisive."

"This isn't the time for…." Hiashi was silenced when Hizashi struck him in the stomach, knocking his twin to the ground, much to everyone's surprise.

"Hizashi," Minato muttered.

"But… why…," Hiashi groaned, "You have Neji, you can't die now. And for what? For a cause I know you don't believe in?"

"That's incorrect," Hizashi responded, "I'm not doing this for the head family; I'm still full of nothing but resentment for them. I'm doing this for my village, and for you, my brother, whom I love." Hiashi, while unable to give up, looked up at Hizashi in surprise at this.

"This is the first decision I am truly making of my own free will," the twin elaborated, "All Neji has ever known of me was my spite and anger. But now, I can and will act justly." Hiashi clenched his teeth in frustration, and looked up at his teammate.

"Minato! Why aren't you protesting?" Minato was silent for a time, as he stared at the floor and clenched his fists.

"Hizashi, is this truly what you desire?" he asked.

"It is," Hizashi answered with a nod. Minato thought about that for a time, before taking a deep breath.

"Then who am I to tell you not to."

"Minato!" Hiashi snapped.

"This is Hizahi's decision," Minato said, looking back at his friend, "It is not either your or my place to stop him." Hiashi knew Minato was right, but that didn't make him feel any better. Hizashi just smiled at his brother, nodded at his Hokage, who returned the nod, as he turned, and started to walk away.

"I'm going to write Neji a quick message," he said, "Make sure he reads it." Hiashi hissed at that. Did his brother think that was going to bring his son any comfort as he mourned his father's death?

"You damn fool!" he growled as he slowly pulled himself to his hands and knees, "Don't go surrendering your life just to feel free for a time!"

"I'm not choosing death," he answered, as he reached the door, "I'm just choosing my own fate." With that, he opened it.

"Goodbye, my brother."

 **(out in the yard)**

Hinata was squatting over a flower, looking closely at a butterfly. She smiled at the sight of the little creature, before it suddenly fluttered, and her face fell in disappointment. But then the girl sensed a presence, and looked up to see a spiky-haired blonde the same age as her standing over her.

"Hi!" On reflex, Hinata backed away shyly.

"My name's Naruto!" the boy said, with a big smile. Hinata shifted on her feet slightly, as she looked at the ground.

"H… hello," she finally said. There was a period of silence, as the two toddlers faced each other.

"So, what's your name?" Naruto finally asked. Hinata looked up in surprise at this, though Naruto just kept looking at her intently.

"I told you my name, so now you have to tell me your name!" he said pointing.

"H… Hinata," the girl finally stuttered.

"Nice to meet you Hinata!" Naruto said, smiling, "Now let's go!"

"Go?" Hinata asked, cocking her head, "Go where?"

"Go play!" Naruto answered. He then grabbed Hinata's hand, and before the girl could protest, Naruto pulled her away, and soon enough, the two of them were playing with each other, as the boy chased Hinata around the yard. Hinata was nervous at first, but soon found herself playing along.

Watching the children from the engawa, were their mothers. Both of them smiled at the sight of their children chasing each other.

"I remember when kids had to be learning to kill each other, instead of playing," Kushina mused.

"Indeed," Harumi Hyuga commented, as she watched her daughter. She and Kushina were childhood friends, and though Harumi wasn't a kunoichi herself, but she was one of the first people who didn't make fun of Kushina for her red hair when they were children.

"For all we know, maybe they'll be a couple someday," Kushina suggested with a chuckle.

"An Uzumaki and a Huyga?" Harm pondered, as she let that thought set in, "I'm not sure if that'd be a pleasant or unpleasant thought."

"Is that a compliment?" Kushina asked, arching an eyebrow.

"What would you like to hear?" There was a silence, before the friends both laughed. However, all of a sudden, they stopped laughing. At the same time, the kids stopped playing, and looked around.

"Do you feel that?" Kushina asked, "That feeling that just came up?"

"Yes," Harumi said, "Its…." There were probably plenty of words to describe it, but they couldn't describe the fully describe what it felt like. Shortly after, the door opened, and Minato came out.

"Minato, what happened?" Kushina asked, as she stood up. Minato stared at the ground, as he clenched his fists.

"We need to go home," he said, "I'll tell you there." Kushina generally wouldn't accept that as an answer, but she could sense the feeling she had.

" _ **Someone just had to die,"**_ Kurama said from within her, but Kushina didn't need him to tell her that.

"Oh well, see you soon Kushina," Harumi said with a nod.

"Likewise," Kushina answered, before turning and calling, "Come on Naruto, time to go home!" Naruto looked up at his mother with surprise.

"We've got to go?" Naruto asked, "But…."

"No buts sweetie," Kushina interrupted, as she came over and picked him up, "You'll see Hinata again soon." Naruto pouted, but didn't protest, before looking at Hinata.

"Bye!" he said waving. Hinata again hesitated, but eventually smiled and waved back, as the family left. She then felt her mother's hands on her shoulders, and when she looked up, she saw her mother with a solemn expression.

"What's wrong, Mother?" Hinata asked softly. Harumi was silent for a time, as she looked over her shoulder.

"Nothing you have to know for now," she said, as she picked her daughter up, and noticed her husband stepping out. The only way his expression could be described as was "angry".

 **Note: Now I know that in canon, Minato did have some team mates, but seeing as they are never acknowledged aside from a brief appearance, I figured there was no reason not to expand on it with some fanon. So that end, I opted to give Hiashi and Minato an additional dynamic; you'll be seeing a number of these in the story as things go on.**

 **That concludes the Huyga affair, though it pretty much proceeded as it did in canon. However, some consequences may start to play in later in the series. I'll leave it at that for now.**

 **Next chapter, things will continue, as a particularly infamous event begins to simmer.**

 **Be sure to review.**


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